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Topic: Saving Yamashita’s last fortress (Read 710 times)

LAGAWE, Ifugao — In the waning days of World War II in 1945, the Imperial Japanese Army made its last stand at a mountain range bordering the towns of Kiangan and Hungduan in Ifugao province.

Over 70 years later, three natives of Kiangan have embarked on a mission to preserve what remains of the once impregnable mountain fortress carved with interconnected trenches, dugouts and hundreds of foxholes

“This ridge is an important piece of history like the Yamashita Shrine in Poblacion,” said Guillermo Dimog, a banker who always returns home during breaks from work in Manila.

National shrine

The shrine, known as “Bantayog sa Kiangan” (Kiangan National Shrine), marks the place where Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita surrendered to Filipino-American forces, practically ending the war in the Pacific.

Located 1,500 meters above sea level, the ridge created a natural barrier between the American artillery in Poblacion valley at the southeast and Yamashita’s bunker on Mt. Napulawan in Hungduan at the northwest.

Local accounts say a majority of the retreating Japanese soldiers guarded this ridge.

With relatives Robert Tayaban Jr., a civil engineer, and Stephen Tayaban, a seaman, Dimog started clearing the dense undergrowth in March as vegetation naturally took over.

Dimog said the plan was to recreate the forested 3-hectare property, owned by the Tayaban family, into an ecological and reflection park.

“People have been coming to the place because of the refreshing, meditative ambiance,” said Stephen, who left the seas to be at home in the mountains.

Wildlife habitat

He built several bamboo benches at strategic places where visitors can view Kiangan and nearby towns of Asipulo, Hungduan and Lagawe, the capital town.

Clearing has been limited only to historically acknowledged Japanese trails and foxholes since the area is home to diverse wildlife, Dimog said.

Wild pigs and swiftlets have made their home in the only remaining tunnel, as well as in several deep dugouts.

It used to be a grueling half-day climb from Poblacion, but the quickest way up the ridge is a 40-minute hike from the national road, passing by Barangay Nagacadan in Kiangan going to Tinoc town, also in Ifugao.

Dimog also said his group planned to put up a small museum to display the war relics, such as mortar shells, soldiers’ gear and swords found in the area over the years.

Local tales and the history of the area will also be posted for children to read, he added.

Place for healing

Aside from its historical significance, the park can be a place of healing for Japanese who lost relatives to the war as well as Filipinos and Americans who suffered at the hands of Japanese soldiers, Dimog said.

Stephen said elderly folk had been passing down tales about the hundreds of Japanese soldiers who died fighting and were buried at the ridge. The human bones dug by locals foraging for root crops were believed to belong to the soldiers, he said.

Based on records, over 100 foxholes, locally called “pakhols,” had been found in the area, with half of these still intact.

Overtime, dugouts and tunnels were filled with soil. Bigger foxholes were destroyed by treasure hunters looking for the fabled Yamashita treasure.

Treasure-hunting

In the 1970s, Japanese tourists frequented the ridge as they went to Hungduan, supposedly in search of their relatives’ remains, Dimog said.

But residents believed they were actually looking for buried treasures.

Making the ridge into an open park would stop treasure-hunting activities, which could destroy the historical relics as well as the forest, Stephen said.

He said tourism could give added income to residents of surrounding communities who relied on the annual harvest of “tinawon,” the heirloom rice.

The development of the park would be “slow but sure,” he said, adding that “once our town benefits from it, that would be a good return of investment.”

An ALMOST UNKNOWN BIT OF TRUTH about Yamashita's retreat and holding plan.

General Tanaka was the Military Governor General of the PH from the beginning of 1942 till late 1944 when the war was in full retreat. People keep going on how one or more Imperial Japanese Prince's were responsible for treasure deposits and shipping. Shipping into the PH was by the IJN and delivery clear to the big deposits was by IJN. Even the early prewar tunneling was under the authority of the IJN not the IJA. Except for central Luzon, virtually all large deposits were under the command of the Governor General, Tanaka. Research Tanaka, a most amazing officer, raised out of lower class, military schooled, educated at Oxford University receiving a degree in English Literature ! ! Military attache in Europe including in USA. Personally known by most of the USG Military out of Washington BEFORE WW2.

Tanaka was not a globalist, or imperialist. His sole purpose in life was to serve his nation and his country in an honorable way. Tanaka allegedly was put into rest because of a severe case of malaria, and then sent back to Tokyo for medical treatment. This was a ruse. His knowledge of the large bunkers was too extensive to let be taken by American forces. Yamashita was not responsible for direct burials in the PH, only a few in the last remaining months of the war in the PH. Yamashita was involved in burials in Saipan, Guam, Okinawa, Iwo Jima and a few others. Not Philippines where the bulk of the gold was placed. A virtually not known truth was, China was a partner in the gold deposits or transports to the PH. At least the royal families of China.

Now for the rub. Tanaka and Yamashita did not like each other. Diametrically different beliefs. When Tanaka left the PH, Yamashita began relocating the deposits, changing inventory lists, changing boobie traps and what not. This made the master listings inaccurate or in some cases obsolete, compiling new lists, maps and data bases. Yamashita's design was to place the treasures of Luzon, that is Luzon into his control giving him more authority over the Japanese Imperial family and a stronger position should Japan rise from the war and begin a new war. This required some strategy in cataloging and sending back to Japan the new data bases ( on paper naturally ) before his unavoidable surrender. The purpose for the factually non combative retreat was a time saving delay tactic. Once into the mountains Yamashita decided to make his desperate move in shipping this data base back to Japan, not by submarine but by aircraft. From a location I will not reveal, he sent a light bomber loaded, escorted by many fighter aircraft, loaded with several "puzzle safes" that being safes that have no obvious ways of opening, in a high risk attempt to exit the north tip of Luzon and make way to some other point he had chosen. The air crew had been also very loyal to General Tanaka, when Tanaka heard word of this he gave countermanding instructions to the crew to change their flight plan to a different direction because the one Yamashita had chosen was too risky. Tanaka having been the Governor for over 2 years had a much better understanding of the terrain, weather and such vs Yamashita whom had only been in the PH for a few months. Unfortunately, even with a change of flight plans, which no doubt also changed the destination point, the flight formation was jumped by many American P51 and P38 aircraft, greatly out numbering the Japanese formation. A large fight ensued were in all Japanese fighters were ultimately destroyed but not before destroying many American aircraft. The bomber carrying the safes was shot up and crashed into the mountains killing all crew but not totally destroying the aircraft. Many tribals stood in amazement to watch such a frantic swirl of bee like activity in the aerial dog fight that ensued. The master set of Yamashita maps and documents were never recovered. In the past 4 years there has been a massive Japanese dragnet scouring the mountains looking for this aircraft and the cargo of puzzle safes. As of this date they have not been recovered. This you may say, using common expression is the "Holy Grail" of Japanese war treasure maps collections. Japan never received any copy of these data bases. The hunt for this is going on at this moment. The crash is still possessed by the spirits of the bomber flight crew. Pilot, Co-Pilot and two escorting officers remain in the crash. Their bones are still in the crash, what bones remain over all the years.

Great story z. I was hoping for something like that to be true, where a lot of the maps have been lost and sites forgotten even if they were very big deposits. I find it strange that a lot of sites ive been to( that i beleive have big deposits based on signs n markers) have not been worked on or claimed/bought by the people who should know about these sites.

Great story z. I was hoping for something like that to be true, where a lot of the maps have been lost and sites forgotten even if they were very big deposits. I find it strange that a lot of sites Ive been to ( that I believe have big deposits based on signs n markers) have not been worked on or claimed/bought by the people who should know about these sites.

Caped, there is at least 3 or 4 forms of locks on the deposits which much be surmounted to open a large bunker. The larger or more important a bunker, the more sophisticated the lock.

1) dead man lock, locking spirits of NON Japanese2) dead man lock, locking spirits of Japanese3) dead Shinto level Japanese ie Shinto level spirits as in the Teresa sites.4) Demon locking Spirits. BTW each island that has major bunkers has a locking Demon on the island. 5) very uncommon but locking entity that is not Demon or Human origin.

The biggest deposits have such as 3 - 4 - 5 locks at least. These can influence human thought, make physical illness. Cause death directly.

I see. So breaking through a concealed entrance is just the beginning then. How do we know if there is such locks in a particular sight. If these spirits like you will they help you succeed or are they always gonna be bad to everyone? Thanks z

Hi everyone! First time I posted something here since being a member in 2010. What z just posted are all true. I would be very gladly to help anyone who needs help to deal with these spirits, demons or from different dimensions. L

I'm posting here as a bookmark or place setting because my mind is fading and I forget daily what I am doing.

Going over 20 years of files and work in the PH and was reading back through several years, several hundred of private emails between DB and myself as we worked on several major bunkers. I know a bit of how and when he got into trouble with the PH government and military. Will later post some excerpts out of the private emails discussing his problem and where it started. I had offered to buy out his government contract and get him off of Luzon to Mindanao but he said getting it bought off would be big trouble besides he needed it for his children and nephew etc. All he wanted were a couple of bars.

Anyway this all came up this week because the black spirits we were dealing with may have been involved in the changing of peoples minds that cause events to take place plus causing cancer.